I plan to get through the winter doldrums by refinishing my Thompson Center 45 caliber Hawkins muzzleloader the ole man got me when I was 12. I've got it cleaned and disassembled, and although I've built a Lyman kit, I have some questions on where to go next.

Its got a gloss finish on the stock and quite a bit of black/dirty wood under the metal components. What would you do to first strip the gloss finish, and second, clean up that hidden wood yet prevent it from getting soft enough to be ruined? Should I soak it in something?

I also plan to brown the previously blued metal and need to strip this blue finish. I've heard on this board that naval jelly works, but I haven't been able to find it at the local hardware stores. Others have told me that I can brown right over the blue with no problem or variation in shades. How should I attack this?

Thanks in advance for the adviec,

Fritz

PS: A question regarding how to treat this gun in the future. My dad used to recommend WD-40 as a universal lubricant after cleaning. Recently, I've heard that this acts as a corrosive and shouldn't be used. If this is so, what do you recommend for coating the barrel (inside and out) between uses, and do you lube the metal areas that come in contact with the stock?

Thanks again,

Fritz